Kaylin's silicone tail creation thread

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

I've been tooling around with the idea of creating my own silicone tail, using individual scales. I blame the fantastic work done by PearlieMae, Selkish and other talented Mers here for kick starting that desire. I want to do an armoured mer-sona as well, so I'll be looking at making some waterproof armor from thermoplastics to go with it. I expect I'll be dry-docked a majority of the time, but having the ability to swim in said tail would be a bonus.

That said, I got a set of dice that made me fall in love with the colour scheme.
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Rustoleum brand spray paint had (at one point) their colour shifting line of spray paint, which I've used before with some success on some thermoplastic armor. It's basically a duo chrome green/violet, which I suspect I can get via pigments if necessary and by putting them in a Good coat over the thermoplastic, or by using Interference violet paint over a dark to mid-green base. I'd have to do some colour swatches for the armor yet, naturally. I also plan on adding shells and assorted flora to the armor design as well.

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Thus is the design I have come up with. Yes, I got a little ahead of myself and did the armor in standard silver, which Also thought looked fantastic. I could, in theory, still do the green opal-style tail to go with it, and use silver pigments instead of the gold....but I may end up going with the green and gold scheme instead. Just means I need to re-plot out my colours from this is all.... which is already in the works. In terms of colour scheme per the pic, the white is not a pure white, but more of a cream colour. I'll be doing scale tests when I get around to it obviously, but I do already have some Pearl White Pearl-Ex pigment on hand, so I'll be testing that as well.
If I end up going with the silver armor, I may shift my tail colour to a blue-grey in order to compliment the silver, or a teal.

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Here are some preliminary scale and fin sketches. I like the tattered/torn idea of fins, even more so for a battle style mer. I may add some holes into the fins as well near the edges, though I have a concern that if I cast them too thin, the holes will simply tear the fin. That said, I've done casting for other projects before, so I'm familiar with the process. I have plastalina clay from my previous projects, and will look at making some scale sculpts when I have the time to do so (Right now, I have two major papers due in two and four weeks respectively).

Anyway, that's all I've got so far. Planning to plan, so to speak. :D

~Kaylin

[Rett]

Looks awesome, I cant wait to see an armored mer! Underwater armour sounds amazing! I also especially love the fluke design!

Heads up, Pearlex sells a duo green and violet pigment :D

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hi Rett!

Indeed they do. I remember finding it at the local artist's store and going "Ooo. Just like the Colorshift"...but I put it back. On second thought, I probably should have picked it up and did some testing against a dark green paint.

And thank you! The fluke design was only a test run, as I've adjusted it...again. Just some subtle variations to match the fins. I'll more than likely spend some time doing some colouring since I re-did the design on some Bristol board. I'll probably give the amor some texture variation too; like algae and some sand, to go along with the shells, pearls and 'gems'.

I did happen to find some interesting colourshifting plastidip today too, their Chameleon brand in the silver and turquoise. The other option was a blue shifting to a light yellow-green which I wasn't fond of. I figure I can do a small patch test and put it through some riggers to see what the verdict on it is. I've used plastidip to make LARP approved weapons before, so I'm familiar with its properties. I'd still like to see the testing in chlorinated and salt water to see how it holds up, as well as what the colour pay-off is. If I can't use it for this, I'm sure I can find another project to use it for. Heh. :)

This is half the fun for me, is testing. I know some folks get frustrated with the process, and I do too, but the fun for me is in the testing phases. :D

~Kaylin

[WaterDragon]

you are using Dice as the inspiration for your tail?! I am so following this thread!

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Heh! Thanks WaterDragon!

Its the Chessex set Marble variant in Green with dark green number. Very descriptive of them. :lol:

~Kaylin

[MeliPixie]

That armor looks amazing, can't wait to see more!

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[KaylinSilvermerr]

Thanks MeliPixie!

I plan to add things like coral, shells, pearls and stuff for texture and to make it more...mermaid-y.

Now, after the better part of two days tooling around with colours, I -think- I might have something down....though I will more than likely have to adjust the colourings in order to give it less yellow base. Pale sage (a prismacolor pencil) is more a yellow green than say Mint, which has a blue cast to it.


I can add gold to it through various pigments and topcoats in order to get that 'marble' effect.

Also, point note: I know have a blank template to work with, so I may yet still fool around with different colours. I did one that was very much too green, even with duo chrome green/violet armor.

~Kaylin

[Misty Lau]

Another mer with plans for thermoplastic armor! Yes!

[MeliPixie]

If you don't mind my saying, the yellowy green of the sage works great with the peacock green color because it does have less blue :)

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[KaylinSilvermerr]

@Misty Lau: Yes! Thermoplastic armor mers unite! I saw one other mer from France (Anceos!) who had armor. From what I understood, his was latex paint over fabric. I'm curious to know if he's done work with thermoplastics. What about you? What have you found works best for sealing and water proofing?

@MeliPixie: It might actually work better once I get a brighter gold swirl in there as per the dice. Most silver acrylic paints or spray paints are usually cool tone or neutral grey. I can always do a clear coat with a gold shimmer to it, or a gold interference.... *debates debates debates* Its also difficult to find a mint green mica as well... though I'm sure I can find an eyeshadow that will work. *laughs*

~Kaylin

[Keiris]

Actually, the merman's name is Anceos and he is a VERY talented sculptor. He's made a few silicone tails as well as many armor pieces and I believe even a chest template. I think he has a tail making thread on here that has some great pics of him in some of the pieces.

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Actually, the merman's name is Anceos and he is a VERY talented sculptor. He's made a few silicone tails as well as many armor pieces and I believe even a chest template. I think he has a tail making thread on here that has some great pics of him in some of the pieces.

Hello Keiris!

Anceos! Thank you! Yes, I did see his silicone tail thread, and the photos he had posted of himself in his first tail at the waterfall (all of which were STUNNING, by the way). Do you happen to know if he's still around the forums? His stuff reminds me of Organic Armor's stuff too (which, incidentally, I also drool over).

~Kaylin

[Misty Lau]

Kaylin, I actually haven't worked with silicone or thermoplastic yet. I've been researching though, and I think a good thing to look into would be Worbla, a thermoplastic with cosplayers in mind. The paint and sealant would have to be waterproof, but the actual thermoplastic itself is fine, according to the FAQs on the official website.

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Kaylin, I actually haven't worked with silicone or thermoplastic yet. I've been researching though, and I think a good thing to look into would be Worbla, a thermoplastic with cosplayers in mind. The paint and sealant would have to be waterproof, but the actual thermoplastic itself is fine, according to the FAQs on the official website.

Worbla, Wonderflex and Sintra are all thermoplastics I'm familiar with as a cosplayer. My concern isn't so much for that, but the process of smoothing it down (brown regular Worbla has a great deal of texture to it) with layers of wood glue or gesso, and painting with acrylic paint. Most places suggest standard outdoor varnish, though I'm curious as to how well that'll hold up to chlorinated water. I suppose that's what testing is for, right? :D I'd for sure want to make sure it was sealed properly to prevent anyplace from growing mold on it, as detailed work or edging can be places to harbour mold. I'll probably go with a sinter base for the lightness, as two layers of Worbla and craft foam middle can add un-necessary weight. I'll more than likely use netting for straps.

~Kaylin

[Misty Lau]

Based on the website, black Worbla would be the way to go since it's less porous, but I haven't worked with any Worbla yet, so you'd be the expert here. XD

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hi Misty Lau!

I'll have to do some testing then. I've made LARP ready armor that stood up pretty well to beatings with foam latex swords, mud, summer humidity and rain well enough, and that was after using multiple layers of gesso. I did use a clear coat on that of regular spray kamar varnish, but I know there's other vanishes out there. Just means I'll have to do some testing is all. :) I'll be sure to report back!

~Kaylin

[KatieScottArt]

This is such an amazing design!! I had planned to make a swimmable armor set last summer but.. life happened. I love the idea of an armored mermaid so much. The tricky part for me is trying to come up with a design that allows full rotation of the arms and no drag on the armored pieces when swimming. Drag could cause the armor pieces to pull away from the body an potentially break. That transparent Worbla is just about the smoothest surface I've ever worked with. Perma-gloss, haha. I haven't tried coloring it yet so I really don't know if the pigments would be able to stick to the glossy surface, but it might be worth some tests :). Heck, perhaps you could even adhere it on top of normal worbla armor for an ultra strong pigment protection layer! Transparent Worbla also has a higher heating temperature than the standard brown one so that might be handy? I've had armor sets warp in the hot car before. Noob move on my part.
Good luck with this super fun project! :D

[Keiris]

Hi Kaylin.

Like a lot of the mermen on here, Anceos is a bit elusive. You might have better luck reaching him on his Facebook page, Batnemo Anceos. You can see a bit more of his sculpting projects there as well as some cool footage of him swimming in the Paris Aquarium. :)

[Misty Lau]

I'm excited to see where this armor adventure will go!

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

By way of an update, I wanted to test a theory this evening, using 3mm sintra cut into the necessary shapes for scales I wanted. I crazy glued them down to another small scrap of 3mm sintra, and then cast the scales in Plaster of Paris. Not a bad attempt to be honest, even after using mold release to make sure the plaster didn't stick to the scales. It did stick in a few spots, and some of the detail work was lost, but all in all, it did actually work aside from a few air bubbles in the plaster, and the unfortunate fact that the edging did come off in a few places. In the whole though, it wasn't a bad attempt, and I'm relatively pleased with the results.

Why the sintra, you ask? Well, plastalina is difficult at best to work with when its cold, and I thought it would give me a smoother cast using sintra. Tomorrow I will try with the plastalina and recast (provided I have enough Plaster of Paris to do so) with that, using a small container as a base so that its easier to pull out of the mold. :)

Good lessons learned though!

~Kaylin

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

Alright, a bit of an update.

The 3mm sintra scales that I had made were....ok-ish, but not the level of detail I wanted.
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This was traced out of 3mm sintra and cut out using a hot knife tool. I also used the hot tool to add detail work along the edges after I had glued down the scales to another bit of 3mm sintra.
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This is what came out. I did use a mold release, but I think the 3mm was just too thin to hold the shape of the scales and the edges.

I tried again using plastalina, with the same sized scales and detail work along the edges.
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I was relatively happy with these, though I had to soften the plastalina first in order to make it easier to work with. I cast them in a small metallic basin meant for cooking that you can get cheaply at the collar store, and used less plaster of paris than the sintra mold.

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I much prefer this for the detail work. I may make a few more plastalina scales out of this mold and re-cast with a larger pan size to make more scales at one time, but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.

~Kaylin

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

So instead of working on my Research paper like a good Graduate Student, I was running around the city last night in search of more Plaster of Paris and other things in preparation for making more scale molds. The dollar store was on that list, in order to pick up aluminium baking pants for making individual scales casts in more than two at a time. I plan on having at least five different sizes for my tail, so I picked up at least three.

So I figured to tool around with a colour scheme again, just for something to do. I grabbed my cool grey copics and went to town on a blank tail drawing I'd done...

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Guys....I am REALLY digging this colour scheme. Even without the armor coloured in, I love the grey/silver and white tail....so I may end up going with this in the end. I may end up leaving the armor white, like some of the white coral I've found. White coral to me makes sense given that its algae that makes a coral colourful, and without that coating, coral becomes bleached. That said, I can add blues, pinks and purples in various spots with texture to make it look like living coral as well. Failing that, there's also pearlized green, blues and purples to mimic abalone shell too. Or oyster shell. :)

Anyway, just some thoughts on the process.

~Kaylin

[Mermaid Wesley]

<3 love it!

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

Been slowly working on getting my plaster molds made in different sizes. They turned out not too badly, only minor issues with missing detail on the edges, which I can easily fix with some creative clipping. No photos this time sadly. :)

I'll be away from my stuff for two weeks while travelling, so there won't be much updates until after that.

~Kaylin

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Heh,

So just a few photos before I had off to London for two weeks.

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My plastalina scales in the pan, waiting to be covered in plaster.

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A close up of some of the details.

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Then, after doing a bit of mold release spray and covering it with plaster, then letting it sit over-night. Ta-da! Scale molds!

I will be doing some testing around with silicone and pearl-ex pigment tonight. I leave for London tomorrow for two weeks, so there won't be much in terms of updates then.

~Kaylin

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hello Mers!

Pulled my first two silicone scales last night. Was just testing how Dragon skin and the molds behave. So a few things learned from tooling around with the silicone in plaster molds.

1. I note that there is a powdery sort of residue from the plaster mold. I know a "slime coat" can help with this, and I do plan on testing the process once I get home from London in two weeks.

2. The mold crumbles very quickly. I will have to seal it with lacquer and try again, but I may end up remaking the molds with resin or the white 305 plastic from Smooth-on.

3. Currently my scales are 5mm thick, which is too thick for making a tail from. I also have to make them thinner, given that I have to use silicone on the scales to attach them to the power mesh. I know ideally I want them at least 2-3mm.

4. Using Pearl-Ex powders for pigmenting, I have noticed no difference between the Antique Silver and the Silver. So in that vein, I probably have more silver than I know what to do with, as I have 3 of the 3 gram jars of the pigment. I want to grab either a lighter silver to compliment/ act as a transition shade between it and the white, and a dark, dark grey to add spots or patterns.

All in all, this has been a very exciting process and I am having a great deal of fun doing it. :D

~Kaylin

[WaterDragon]

For the dark gray on my husbands tail I used the Pearl Ex silver and mixed in some of the Carbon black in something like a 4/1 silver to black ration, maybe you could try that?

[Mermaid Wesley]

Cool! Your molds look really clean!


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[KaylinSilvermerr]

For the dark gray on my husbands tail I used the Pearl Ex silver and mixed in some of the Carbon black in something like a 4/1 silver to black ration, maybe you could try that?

Hello Lyn!

Yeah, I figured a little bit of mixing was going to happen. If I can't find black pigment at the local art store where I usually get my pigments, but I will check again when I get home. It may have simply been that they were out of the Carbon black when I got there. The alternative is adding Pearl White to my mix and see where that gets me. :) If I need to, I can order directly from Jacquard.

How dark did your husband's tail end up with that mix, out of curiosity?

~Kaylin

[WaterDragon]

Here's what my mixed scale looks like surrounded by plain silver scales.
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[KaylinSilvermerr]

Here's what my mixed scale looks like surrounded by plain silver scales.
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Ooo! That's pretty dark. I might just try that mix then and see where I get with it! Thanks Lyn!

~Kaylin

[WaterDragon]

glad I could help :)

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Cool! Your molds look really clean!


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Thanks Wesley! If I do end up remaking them, I might make the scales a touch more square. They're pretty long as it is, so I might trim off a bit if/when I do.
I think my molds came out clean because I also used a release spray. The Ease Release that Smooth-on makes, coupled with a slightly runnier version of plaster I think made for clearer molds, though I lost some of the detail on the scales sadly.

~Kaylin

[PearlieMae]

Go with resin scale molds if possible...infinitely more durable. Plaster will just make you cry!

Also, a lot of your armor can be made from silicone as well and made to look very metal \m/ >< \m/

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hi PearlieMae!

It can indeed, just need to pigment and dust with power when necessary in order to get the necessary colours. I know that Organic Armor uses Oomoo 35, which is what most silicone molds are made from. My sculpting skills, however, are not that awesome. I'm pretty decent making bases with sintra or Wonderflex and Worbla, but making something vaguely 3D with clay? Not so much. Granted, I could simply cast materials and try that way, see how things work. I mean, silicone does stick to itself. :D

~Kaylin

[Ashton]

I would try Worbla for armor, I have used it for cosplay's before and some underwater props. It is great, just make sure if you want to put it underwater that you seal it first :)

[KaylinSilvermerr]

I would try Worbla for armor, I have used it for cosplay's before and some underwater props. It is great, just make sure if you want to put it underwater that you seal it first :)


Hi Ashton!

I'm very familiar with Worbla and Wonderflex. I also cosplay, and have made a few thinks using thermoplastic before. Kamui Cosplay's books have been helpful for starting that process, and a friend of mine got me started on Sintra recently. While a thermoplastic, it does behave differently than Worbla. It seals the same way as Worbla, however, with multiple layers of outdoor varnish, unless there's something else you'd recommend?

~Kaylin